Lost Eric and Ernie footage set to air

Families of both Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise have opened up their archives for the series, which will air on the Gold channel from November.

Producers at North One Television have secured enough rare material to fill five hour-long programmes, mixed in with ‘talking heads’ commentary from the likes of Chris Tarrant and Hugh Dennis.

The show will be voiced by avid Morecambe and Wise fan Victoria Wood, who was behind the acclaimed 2010 TV biopic Eric and Ernie.

Announcing the show this morning, UKTV’s chief executive Darren Childs said: ‘We have been working for a long time with the estates and families of Morecambe and Wise and discovered lots of never-before-seen and never-before-broadcast content.

‘There was so much that we've managed to get five episodes out of it.’

Norht One Television previously made The Unforgettable Ernie Wise, which aired on ITV1 on New Year's Day.

Eric Morecambe’s personal archives have been plundered for several books in the 28 years since he died, including his son Gary’s 2009 biography You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, which included unseen family photographs; and the 2006 anthology Eric Morecambe Unseen, which included extracts from his diaries, joke notebooks and photo collection.

Another book, Eric Morecambe: Lost And Found, again by Gary Morecambe, is out later this month. It includes ‘notebooks, sketches, skits, musings, interviews and rare photographs’ as well as interview transcripts. Click here to pre-order this book from Amazon.

Published: 11 Sep 2012